Hazardous Tree Assessment

Assessing and dealing with hazardous trees is hugely important when managing a tree population (whether it’s one tree, or a thousand)

There are many visual signs that a tree may be declining and/or hazardous, including the presence of conks growing on the tree or close to its base.

There are many conditions that increase the likelihood that all or part of a tree will fail. Some trees become weak due to insect or disease problems, while others are structurally predisposed to failure (due to weak branch attachments, for example, or simply their species). In urban and suburban settings, the failure of a tree often leads to property damage and/or personal injury.

When dealing with hazardous trees, an arborist's job is twofold: to assess the hazard level of the tree and to recommend necessary action. The arborists here at Almstead utilize various methods to determine the condition of a tree, including visual cues and test results. Trees exhibiting excessive leaning, open cracks, weak branch unions, areas of dead, sunken or missing bark, or decayed wood and cavities are more prone to fail than their structurally sound counterparts.

However, not all hazardous trees display outward signs of failure. Almstead is one of a select few companies trained to use Resistograph technology. With this state-of-the-art system, our arborists are able to graphically measure the drilling resistance of a tree. This allows them to accurately locate and determine the amount of any internal defects, such as rot and decay, in a tree without causing unnecessary wood damage.

By measuring the resistance against a special drill bit as it moves through wood, the Resistograph is an essential tool for identifying internal decay in trees.

Utilzing a series of resistograph readings, we can estimate the decay pattern present in a tree.

An arborist using a Resistograph.

Once your Almstead arborist has thoroughly assessed a tree, he will determine its hazard rating and make concurrent recommendations based on how much of the tree is likely to fail and how likely that failure is to cause injury or property damage. No matter what action is necessary - from pruning to installing lighting protection systems to complete removal - your professionally certified arborist will see the process through from start to finish.

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